The Bedding of Wolfram
by jinjyaa
Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?
1. Yuuri Alone

Kyou kara Maou : The Bedding of Wolfram

Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Warnings: not a very cheerful story, of course. Rated M for explicit gore and sexual details, but the aim is not particularly pornographic, just mature. I don't think there are any spoilers. Details that seem like spoilers are probably ones I made up.

_Please review._

_Update: just cleaning up._

_Note that the homepage link on my author profile goes to the illustrations page for my KKM fanfics. The main OC's all have portraits, and the stories (including this one) have illustrations. There are also summaries and character bios._

Chapter 1 : Yuuri Alone

"Ah!!!" Yuuri stretched happily in the courtyard with Conrad after their morning run. "Such a beautiful morning! I feel so refreshed! I slept so well with the bed to myself!"

Conrad gave him his usual quiet smile, and continued tossing a baseball into his own mitt, waiting patiently for Yuuri to finish his stretches. "I imagine Wolfram is complaining he misses you."

"Hm," Yuuri agreed vaguely, and politely refrained from adding, _Well I don't miss him._ Wolfram had left yesterday for a week with his hand-picked von Bielenfeld-liveried majutsu-specialist troop, patrolling the borders. Normally, this was his troop's duty, to patrol one week in four, though he often punted when Yuuri was in town. But lately, Yuuri had been in Blood Pledge Castle for three weeks straight, and still no disasters loomed, so Wolfram had resumed his usual routine. In truth, Yuuri was looking forward to a week without a fiancé, and had vague ideas about meeting girls during the break. Though he wouldn't care for Wolfram to hear that.

A blue-liveried blond horseman clattered in in a lather, and ran up into the gallery, the horse left heaving by the stairs. Conrad's eyes narrowed at this, but he simply said, "Ready to play catch, Yuuri?"

"Yes! Wonderful!" They tossed the ball a few times companionably. Yuuri asked, "Say, Conrad, what is it that Wolfram does on patrol, anyway?"

Conrad arched a brow in surprise. "Didn't Wolfram tell you?"

"Ah," Yuuri rubbed his head sheepishly, "I'd already had a couple hours' history lessons with Günter that day, so…" _So I wasn't listening, so he got mad and called me a wimp, and an idiot, and a pathetic excuse for a ruler who couldn't be bothered to know what his own troops risked their lives for…._ Actually, in retrospect, Yuuri smarted a little from the accusation. Realizing Wolfram was right was what prompted him to ask Conrad.

"Well –" Conrad began, but stopped when he spotted Gwendal beckoning to him from the gallery. He threw one last toss. "If you'll excuse me, Yuuri," he said with a slight bow. The two men marched briskly back into the gallery.

Since Gwendal clearly wasn't interested in talking to Yuuri, he assumed this was yet another military matter considered out of his league, and wandered off seeking Greta to play catch with.

After an hour playing together in the quiet courtyard garden, Greta asked, "Um, Yuuri? I have to do my lessons. I promised Chichiue Wolfram I'd do them every day, and I'd write him a letter every day, too. Don't _you_ have work to do?"

"Ah," Yuuri rubbed his head sheepishly yet again. _Now even my daughter's twitting me for acting like a child…_ "Usually Conrad or Günter tells me when it's time to start work, so…" _So I'm hiding in the courtyard garden and they haven't caught me yet…._ "You're right, Greta, I should go to my office. But if you want help with any of your lessons, you'll let me know, right?"

Greta eyed him skeptically. "I usually review them with Wolfram or Günter.… Well, will you have lunch with me, anyway? And…Yuuri? Will you read to me tonight before bed? I missed Wolfram reading to me last night."

"Ah," Yuuri blushed with a sinking feeling. "You probably read Shin Makoku writing better than I do! Um, tell you what, though. I can tell you stories from my world! And, maybe you can read to me a little?"

Greta looked a bit disappointed in him, which hurt, but she smiled anyway. "Sure, that sounds good. Well, see you at lunch!" And she ran off to do her lessons, without ever being told to. Well, that wasn't quite true – Wolfram had told her to. He kindly but firmly trained her to do all her appointed duties at the appointed time, without excuses. _How does that guy manage to twit me when he's not even here?_ Yuuri thought ungratefully.

Finding a stack of papers to sign in his office, but no Conrad or Günter, Yuuri wandered over to Gwendal's office, to find him in the foulest mood he'd ever seen.

"I'm _busy_, heika. I'm sure you have paperwork to attend to. Please attend to it," Gwendal barked, not even looking at Yuuri.

"Ah, I was just going to ask where Conrad and Günter are…?"

Gwendal paused a moment, eyes closed and grimacing. Then he looked back to his papers and dismissed Yuuri angrily. "_Not. Here._ Obviously. Now you'll _excuse_ me!" As he showed himself out, Yuuri noted guiltily that Gwendal's stacks of papers were bigger than his own by a factor of about five to one.

At lunch, he found only Greta waiting for him, sadly pushing bits of soggy orange lettuce and purple fruit around her plate. _Blech, I hate that salad, _Yuuri thought, but resolved to _set a good example in front of our daughter, _feeling yet again as though Wolfram was breathing down his neck.

So he smiled brightly and sat down as though looking forward to his lunch, "Ah, Greta! You inspired me this morning, you know. After I finished signing my paperwork, I practiced my reading until lunch."

Greta looked up puzzled. "Don't you read the papers before you sign them?"

"Ah… Sanguria! That looks lovely!" he said, as Sanguria brought in his serving. Truthfully enough – the salad was very colorful, much as he'd prefer rice and soup over leaf and fruit salad for lunch. As Sanguria spread out his lunch, he added, "Conrad and Günter never did show up. I wonder if they'll join us for lunch?"

Greta answered, "But they're not here. They went to rescue Wolfram."

Yuuri's body didn't seem to know how to react. He stopped breathing, started again, tensed to rise to demand answers from Gwendal, released in realization he couldn't do that in front of Greta. "Ah…Sanguria?"

"There was a rider this morning," Sanguria said with a quick covered glance at Greta. "I'm sure von Bielenfeld-kyo will be fine. Weller-kyo took von Krist-kyo and Giesela and Yozak and Dorcas and four full troops. If you'll excuse me, heika, please enjoy your lunch."

"That's a lot of troops," said Greta, echoing Yuuri's own hammering unvoiced thoughts. "They must be worried." She looked up at him with huge scared eyes.

Yuuri gulped. No doubt Wolfram would derail this with some calmly assured and clever comment about dragons, but Yuuri couldn't think of one. "Ah, I'm sure there's no need to worry. I've been in, uh, tough spots with those guys plenty of times. There's nothing they can't handle." _Though…often it was me, or at least the Maou, who got them out of those tough spots alive. WHY THE HELL AREN'T I WITH THEM?_ "Ah, so, was there anything in your lessons you needed help with?"

"Not really," said Greta. "May I be excused, Yuuri? I want to write my letter to Wolfram now."

"Don't you even want dessert?"

"I'm not very hungry." She sadly started padding away, then ran back and flung her arms around Yuuri and kissed his cheek. "In case you go, too," she whispered in his ear. Then she ran from the room.

Though his stomach had been rumbling before lunch from the early start with Conrad, eating was the last thing Yuuri wanted to do now. But mouth tasting of ashes, he gulped down some bread and tea and a little bit of everything in the salad, giving Greta time to clear the halls before he rushed out to accost Gwendal. The least he could do was avoid worrying Greta even more. _And there's a whole lot more I can do than that!_

Marching down the hall to Gwendal's office, he threw the doors open wide, determined to join the rescue party. He found Gwendal still at his desk, writing furiously, easily ignoring the pint-sized theatrics at the door.

"Ahem," Yuuri cleared his throat assertively to get his advisor's attention.

"What."

With a sinking feeling, Yuuri was gradually recalling that there were several of his royal court who obeyed him and upheld his authority. None of whom were Gwendal. Indeed, all of whom were gone.

"Ah… I had to hear from _Greta_ and _Sanguria_ that a rescue party has been sent out for Wolfram. What is going on? And why was I not consulted? I would have gone with them!" Yuuri feared his voice squeaked a little on that last. This pretending to be assertive with Gwendal…wasn't really working for him.

"It's under control." Gwendal stated. His furrowed brow and jaw were rigid, and a muscle twitched at his temple. Gwendal himself did not appear in very good control. His hooded eyes fixed several feet to the right of Yuuri's elbow.

"Tell me!" said Yuuri. _Still too squeaky…_ he thought with a sinking feeling.

"Heika," Gwendal barely assented, teeth still clenched, "von Bielenfeld's troop was overcome in camp last night. The watchmen and half the troop were slain, most injured. Von Bielenfeld himself and two of his men were taken. One man from the troop rode in this morning and reported. He led the rescue forces back to the scene."

Yuuri waited a beat, but no more was forthcoming. "Taken. Taken…by whom? For what? Are they hostages? What are the demands?"

Gwendal paused so long that Yuuri was afraid he wouldn't answer. "The attackers were houjutsu users. There are never demands from the raiders on the Mizrat frontier. They raid because they hate Mazoku." He paused again, his furious gaze shifting to 6 feet to the right of Yuuri's head. "Wolfram was the commanding officer. So they took him."

"They – " breathed Yuuri. "I ride out after them immediately!"

"No," said Gwendal flatly. "You will stay here."

"I _demand_ to – " attempted Yuuri, but Gwendal rose to meet a Kohi clattering on the landing bearing a message. Gwendal visibly slumped as he read the note.

"What does it –" attempted Yuuri.

"I don't have_ time_ for your posturing, heika!" shouted Gwendal. "_Begone!_" And Gwendal pushed Yuuri out of his way to exit the office at fastest march.

By dinner, Gwendal and Cheri were also gone, with no further explanation. Yuuri didn't dare ask Greta if she knew anything about the raiders on the Mizrat frontier. He managed to take Sanguria aside for a quiet word, but she averted her eyes and whispered, "I don't want to say. Please go back to Greta, heika," and she fled the room.

Instead of a story, Greta chose to read him her letter to Wolfram for the day. It ended with,

_Everybody here is worried about you. But please don't worry about me. Yuuri is taking good care of me and the castle with everybody away. You'd be proud of him. I hope you come home safe soon. I miss you, Chichiue. Love, Greta._

"That's a beautiful letter, Greta," Yuuri said. "And you have such nice penmanship, much better than mine." He winced as he realized he was parroting something he'd heard Wolfram tell her. _When did parenting become parroting Wolfram? _"Well, how about a story from my world next!"

"This is our world," Greta grumbled, then looked very guilty and apologetic. "I'm sorry, Yuuri. I…think I want to go to bed. Good night."

Abandoned, Yuuri wandered up to his room. He could probably press people for more information, but he decided to leave off with that until morning. He had to ask the guards for a match to light the room lamps. _Wolfram did that with an artful flick of the wrist. _The bed wasn't turned down, or his pajamas laid out, nor were glasses of water set on the nightstands. _Wolfram did that, too. And I called him a fussy old woman once in thanks for it._

Yuuri sat in a window embrasure and pressed his forehead against the dark glass. _I was just teasing. He knew I was just teasing. He teases me all the time, too. That much is OK…_

But a whole lot wasn't OK. _I wasn't just teasing when I crowed to Conrad this morning about having the bed to myself. I resented Wolfram for being the responsible wet blanket parent to Greta. I didn't even listen when he tried to tell me what he was riding into on the Mizrat frontier. Serves me right no one will tell me now…._

_The truth is, Wolfram, I haven't gone 10 minutes without thinking about you since you left. What you'd say, what you'd do, what you'd think. How you'd react, how you look… What I'd want to tell you. I keep turning to tell you something, and it's jarring to remember you're not there to talk to. This whole world…I've never faced it without you or Conrad or Gwendal by my side. But they're…well, you're a grown man too. Even so, emotionally you're younger, like me._

_You're my best friend._

Yuuri chuckled darkly. _Everybody here is worried about you. Greta's a real trooper, and her gallant soldier Chichiue Wolfram would be proud of her. Yuuri's doing a lousy job at pretty much everything. But I'll try harder. Don't worry about me. Just…come home safe soon. Love… love? Like I'd know anything about that. I've never even kissed anybody. But… I miss you, friend. Yuuri._

-oOo-

**Please review… _Pretty please?_**


	2. Vigil

Kyou kara Maou : The Bedding of Wolfram

Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Warnings: not a very cheerful story, of course. Rated M for explicit gore and sexual details, but the aim is not particularly pornographic, just mature. I don't think there are any spoilers. Details that seem like spoilers are probably ones I made up.

_Please review._

_Update: just cleaning up._

Chapter 2 : Vigil

Yuuri woke with that sense of surety that comes of working something out in one's sleep._ Obviously, Gwendal didn't leave me in charge of the castle defense, so someone else must be. I will find that person, and demand a situation report. Then I'll demand an escort to join the rescue mission. _He leapt out of bed and dressed quickly.

His resolve got sidetracked briefly when Greta entered. "Yuuri? Conrad's not here. Will you run with me today?" Wolfram seemed to whisper in his ear, _And with no one but the garrison commander to rule the kingdom, you abandoned our daughter to the cook, because a wimp like you could do better than my brothers. Words to thank you fail me... _Belatedly, he realised that at this hour, he'd probably be dragging that unknown garrison commander from bed or bath or breakfast, anyway. Very well – parenting and breakfast first, then.

In the end, he "ran" with Greta – played tag – for half an hour, until he was gasping for air. Not winded in the slightest, she companionably practiced somersaults and headstands and cartwheels while he stretched, then played catch with him for a while. Neither spoke of Wolfram. _Which probably means neither of us is managing to go a minute without thinking of him, but we're trying to be brave for each other, _Yuuri thought. Sanguria served them a light breakfast in the courtyard garden, after which Greta gave him a hug and kiss and ran off to do her lessons.

"Ah, Sanguria," Yuuri asked when she came to clear the debris, "do you know who Gwendal left in charge? I mean, besides me."

"Von Trondheim-kyo, of course," replied Sanguria. "He's in Gwendal's office," she elaborated, seeing Yuuri at a loss.

Yuuri thanked her and set off with resolve to Gwendal's office. Von Trondheim turned out to be someone different than he'd expected – he'd thought a much older man in green uniform was he – but no matter. He approached with confidence, holding out his hand for a firm handshake with the brown-uniformed man at Gwendal's desk.

"You are von Trondheim-kyo? I don't believe we've met to speak. Please call me Yuuri," he began affably.

Von Trondheim rose – and rose – and shook his hand. The man looked to be nearly seven feet tall, and broader than Adelbert, hair cut much the same, but in deep blue with deeper purple eyes – possibly of an age with Adelbert as well. "Maou-heika," he acknowledged.

"And what's the situation this morning with Wolfram's rescue?" Yuuri inquired briskly. He hoped this approach would circumvent his ignorance coming up too quickly in the conversation.

"No significant change," von Trondheim dashed his hopes.

Yuuri tried pursing his lips and saying, "Hmm."

"Will that be all?" von Trondheim inquired, gesturing vaguely at the piles of paperwork, grown alarmingly since yesterday. _Well, of course they would, with both Gwendal and Günter gone._

Yuuri tried another tack. "Ah, are we understrength here? Sanguria told me Conrad left with four troops for the rescue operation."

"Sanguria…" von Trondheim echoed in wonder, staring bemusedly at Yuuri a moment before stooping to rummage through papers.

Yuuri winced inwardly – ah, perhaps getting his intelligence from the kitchen staff…didn't show much intelligence. But no matter. He was the Maou, and this man owed him a complete report.

As it happened, von Trondheim seemed to concur, and began rattling off a synopsis of the paper he'd located. "Von Bielenfeld's camp outside our town of Mizrat Prospect, company of 19, overrun at approximately 3 a.m. yesterday, 12 dead, 4 injured, 3 taken captive – also injured, everyone injured, of course – Mizrati human attackers with houjutsu weapons, approximately 45. Hm," von Trondheim paused, "von Bielenfeld asked for two counter-houjutsu specialist troopers after that run-in with Adelbert a while back. Seems they died in the first wave. A shame. Good idea, that. Well, they were surprised and badly outnumbered."

Yuuri was so used to his inner circle teasing Wolfram, that he was a little taken aback to hear the respect in von Trondheim's voice. To this man, Wolfram was not a spoiled baby brother, but a fellow aristocrat and respected junior officer – a good one.

Von Trondheim resumed his timeline. "Horses also taken. One injured trooper sent Kohi to von Walde-kaka from Mizrat Prospect at 5:05…" von Trondheim winced. "Kohi arrived 7:30. Said trooper Axel acquired horse in Mizrat Prospect, arrived Blood Pledge Castle 8:10. Joined rescue party, dispatched, _von Krist _commanding, 8:35. Under von Krist, Lutenberg Legion, von Spitzweg Company, von Bielenfeld Regulars, von Krist Cavalry, half of von Walde Corps. So to answer your question, strictly speaking, we're not understrength at all here at Blood Pledge Castle – only private troops were sent."

"Why?" asked Yuuri, eyes narrowed.

Von Trondheim continued quickly, not meeting Yuuri's eye. "Kohi borne report from von Krist, received 1:25, attacker's trail and identity confirmed, proceeding into Mizrat in pursuit, command at Blood Pledge Castle transferred, remainder von Walde Corp dispatched, von Walde commanding, 1:45. Also privately, Lady Cecilie von Spitzweg's yacht embarked, 1:55, to harbor at Mizrat Prospect. No further reports."

Yuuri spoke softly. "So, you're saying that Gwendal invaded a neighboring country, without so much as telling me."

"Mm, von Krist, actually, and more like a large raid," dissembled von Trondheim, resuming his seat.

Yuuri wished the man would meet his eye. He found he liked von Trondheim, trusted him, all the more because of how he spoke of Wolfram. He liked the way the man simply and calmly got the details right. "Were any diplomatic approaches attempted?"

"I imagine that's what delayed von Walde himself. Once the identity of the raiders was confirmed…he chose not to seek Mizrati assistance."

Yuuri's voice became very soft indeed, as he quietly leaned his fists on the desk. "What do you know about these attackers? General von Trondheim." The man hesitated, staring past Yuuri's elbow much as Gwendal had. "Why three men? _What do they want?_"

Von Trondheim shifted in his seat uncomfortably, "I've told you all I'm at liberty to say at the moment. Time…is of the essence."

"I'm riding for Mizrat," he attempted.

"I can't allow that," said von Trondheim mildly.

"I'm the Maou. I want a troop escort. I going to help rescue Wolfram."

"There is a chain of command, Maou-heika. I answer to Lord Walde. And, in truth… there's nothing you could do. The forces under von Krist are more than equal to the task. The limiting factor is simply how quickly they can find the group. And you are needed here, as am I, less heroic as that may seem at the moment." _He's trying to wind me down,_ thought Yuuri. _I shouldn't be letting him… _"I'm…overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork that lands on this desk."

"How long," Yuuri breathed. "How long until we hear from them?"

"Actually, I don't expect to hear from them at all. Lady Cecilie can sail here from Mizrat about as fast as a Kohi can fly. I'm afraid we just have to wait for their return. And while we're waiting… Ah, I'm afraid _unlike_ von Walde and von Krist, I'm only a soldier, not a royal aide. Is there…someone else who should be handling…all this?"

"Ah…that would be me," admitted Yuuri. _And none of it's been pre-sifted for my signature – I'll have to _read_ it. _He thought of Greta doing her lessons. Günter faithfully running the kingdom and finding time to bake cookies for Greta while he was away. Wolfram… being an officer reliable enough to earn this man's respect. "Is this pile for me?" he asked softly.

"Yes, if you would. I'd be very grateful, Maou-heika."

Yuuri turned back at the door on his way out. "Ah, one last question… The men, with Wolfram. What are their names?"

Von Trondheim looked him in the eye with new respect and possibly, a little gratitude. "Robair, and Paol. A wind-user and the troop healer. Good men. Ah, I believe trooper Paol is involved with Sanguria. Perhaps it would be best not to…"

Yuuri nodded. "I won't ask Sanguria any more. Thank you for telling me."

-oOo-

A day passed, and another. Yuuri spent meals and some playtime at each meal with Greta, but otherwise, stuck to his paperwork, late into the night. He sent a note to Murata and Ulrike at the shrine. Once he'd decided his part was to hold down the fort, he didn't like to take the time to climb the mountain and visit in person. But Murata was away on research, and Ulrike couldn't tell him anything.

Guards flanked him everywhere, without making a fuss of it. His usual bodyguards were away, so they were there. He was quite sure that if he tried to escape for Mizrat, they had orders not to stop him. He didn't test them.

His mountain of paperwork continued to grow, given how poorly he read Shin Makoku. He dutifully sorted out the missives he truly didn't understand, and signed the ones he could. Strangely, he didn't imagine Wolfram twitting him in his mind anymore. Just pictured a quietly pleased crooked bishounen smile at how hard he was working. And whispers of wry parenting suggestions while he was with Greta. He paused a long time gazing at Shinou's painting in the gallery every time he passed it. He went to bed exhausted so he wouldn't stay awake thinking about the missing bed hog. The bed was cold without him.

He missed Wolfram all the time. And Conrad and Günter and Gwendal. But Wolfram most of all. He tried to tell himself that was just because he was worried about Wolfram. That no doubt once he was back and his normal bickering self, Yuuri would do anything do escape him for some nice quiet time playing ball with Conrad. But he didn't really believe it. _When you get back, Wolfram…_ he said to the painting in the gallery, of another man long dead, but he never finished the sentence. He didn't know what he'd do when Wolfram got back. Just that… it wouldn't be the same. He truly appreciated Wolfram now, for good. So he would salute the painting, and buckle down to his work.

-oOo-

Mid-morning, three days after Gwendal summoned Conrad from their game of catch, Yuuri was in his office when he heard the heavy pounding steps of one man hurrying towards the offices, and sounds of horses in the main courtyard. He jumped to his door to see, of all people, Adelbert von Gratz, heavily laden and barely slowing his steps as his passed von Trondheim's office. "My cousin's room?" he asked directions.

"Heika, please show him the way," von Trondheim requested, heading briskly toward the courtyard, the other way.

"Ah…" Yuuri said, dumbfounded. Adelbert's cousin would be…?

"_Wolfram's room! _Where is it?"And he realized in shock that the bundle in his arms must be Wolfram, and Adelbert, huge man that he was, was rushing Wolfram to bed as quickly as possible. Yuuri ran ahead of him to show him the way.

Adelbert crossed their vast bedroom in three strides. He lay Wolfram down gently, murmured something to him, then strode back out just as fast, tossing over his shoulder, "Don't leave him before Giesela gets here!" And he was gone.

Yuuri stood at Wolfram's side, reaching out for him, but found himself at a loss as for where to touch him. Wolfram was still swaddled in the blankets Adelbert had carried him in, but every bit of him sticking out of that blanket, was hurt. He'd clearly been cleaned up some, but that made it easier to see the damage. The blond hair was matted and dark, spot-cleaned several places well short of its usual blond, for stitching. Both eyes, the mouth, the jaw, the forehead, bruised and swollen black and purple. Striped finger-shaped bruises about the neck. Even his ear, torn where his earring had been ripped from it.

There was nothing in this bundle of pain and hurt that remotely resembled the beautiful, ever-polished, immaculately dressed Wolfram von Bielenfeld. Nothing.

And suddenly… Yuuri was dead calm. "Welcome _home,_ Wolfram," he said firmly. He gently bent to unwrap the blankets, only to find a mass of sweat and blood and pus seeping bandages beneath, with mostly bruised flesh between them. Even his wrists and hands were bandaged. With nothing but bruise and wound to choose between, Yuuri laid his hand softly on the side of Wolfram's head. "We missed you."

Wolfram shivered, and moaned. "Water," he managed to croak out.

Yuuri started to get it himself, then remembered what Adelbert said, and sent a guard instead. Wolfram was still shivering, so he wrapped him up again. The guard returned with glass, pitcher, and basin of water, and a pile of towels besides. After Wolfram had a few sips, he turned his head away. Yuuri kept up a soft murmured monologue about what Greta had said, how she'd read him the letters Wolfram had written, how impressed Yuuri was with von Trondheim, how von Trondheim had spoken highly of Wolfram. All the while he ever so gently cleaned Wolfram's hair a bit. He was still dead calm, and felt focused and clear, poised. He wasn't thinking, he was doing. He was tending Wolfram as well as he was able until Giesela got there.

Wolfram didn't respond. His breath rasped, he shivered, but otherwise he lay still.

With the hair considerably farther along the road back to shining blond, Yuuri stopped dabbing at him, and instead concentrated all he could on the little healing majutsu he knew. Unrecognizable as Wolfram's head was, he felt the most serious damage was in the lower half of his torso, so he concentrated all his efforts there, barely touching Wolfram for fear of hurting him. He knew what he lacked in skill, he made up for in power. Mind clear as water, he poured everything he had into that one thing.

After a time, Giesela breezed in with three assistants and kicked him out of the room, with a stern injunction to remain just outside the door because she'd need him in a minute.

The guards filled Yuuri in on what little they'd gleaned on station in the hall. Cheri's yacht had returned to Mizrat Prospect for another load of injured. Günter and Yozak would probably return with the last horse-borne troops tomorrow. Gwendal and Conrad were already back, and among the injured, though they didn't hear it was bad. They knew nothing of Paol or Robair. They averted their eyes when asked about the Mizrati kidnappers, knowing of Yuuri's pacifist leanings. Slain to a man, they eventually admitted.

Giesela's assistants left and Yuuri was beckoned in. She stopped him at the door as he tried to make a beeline for Wolfram's side. She grabbed his arm and stared him in the eye, in her best drill sergeant manner. "You _cannot _leave him alone. Don't sleep, don't take your eyes off him, until I or one of the others come to spell you."

"But –"

"No one else is available, heika." She glanced over at Wolfram, freshly washed and bandaged and more comfortably arranged under the bed's blankets. "He's already attempted suicide once today. Don't let him try it again."

-oOo-

_Please review?_


	3. Broken Wolfram

Kyou kara Maou : The Bedding of Wolfram

Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Warnings: not a very cheerful story, of course. Rated M for explicit gore and sexual details, but the aim is not particularly pornographic, just mature. I don't think there are any spoilers. Details that seem like spoilers are probably ones I made up.

_Please review._

_Update: just cleaning up._

Chapter 3 : Broken Wolfram

_Suicide?_ Yuuri couldn't imagine Wolfram attempting suicide. Suicidal acts of valor, certainly, but killing _himself_? It wasn't just the _outside_ of this battered young man that was unrecognizable.

_Wolfram, what the hell happened to you?_

Yuuri smoothed Wolfram's hair. "More water?" he murmured. Wolfram just kept his face turned away. He looked much better, with clean bandages, all the soiled wrappings taken away, tucked into the covers in his own – _our _own – bed. He was breathing easier. Yuuri did a brief healing again and felt the difference. Giesela and her assistants had applied majutsu as well as physical tending. Even the bruising on his face was noticeably lighter. The lower torso felt…better, but still dangerously wrong.

And suddenly, his cool clarity was back. That comment about suicide had rattled him, but that was over now. There was nothing in the universe that mattered right now, except simply to help Wolfram get better. Suicide was just another detail. "I'm going to pull the blanket back a bit to work on healing you," Yuuri said.

"No," Wolfram stated clearly. A lightly bandaged hand clawed the blanket.

"Good," said Yuuri. "You're stronger than I thought. Alright, I'll do the healing through the blankets. Let me know when you need a bedpan or anything, though." It seemed best to be matter-of-fact about these things. He imagined it hurt Wolfram's pride to need such services.

"Catheter. Clear liquids only."

"Wow, you're clearer than I thought, too. I figured Giesela had you on the heavy drugs. Well, would you like me to read to you to help take your mind off things?" _Would you like to tell me what happened to you?_ he knew he shouldn't ask.

"Yuuri. Stop babbling."

"Alright. But I have something I want to say first. Every day you were missing, over and over, I told it to that picture of Shinou that looks like you. 'I miss you, Wolfram, please come home safe.' I would have demanded to go with Conrad and Günter, so they didn't tell me. Maybe when Gwendal disappeared, I should have gone after you then. But the damnedest thing was – even though I thought about you every waking minute, the _you_ I was thinking of, wanted me to stay here – to mind the kingdom and take care of Greta. Because this time it was me holding down the fort. I guess I believed them when they said I couldn't help. So, instead I wanted to make you proud of me. Anyway, that's why I wasn't in the rescue party. No one wanted to see you more, though."

No response.

Yuuri settled down to healing again. "You're vastly better at this than I am. Let me know if you have any suggestions. Or, if knowing any more about the wounds would help…"

No response.

Eventually – it took nearly an hour of Yuuri's silence – Wolfram started to speak. It didn't sound like Wolfram. Partly because his mouth and nose were so swollen, his vocal chords maybe bruised as well. But mostly because the paper dry raspy voice was quiet, flat, dead of emotion.

"They bound us with houjutsu crystals. Directly on our bodies, on our heads. Everything swam with vertigo, coming in and out of focus. We were already bleeding from the fight. We rode for hours like that, bound and slung over horses, to their village. Then they tied us hand and foot to bedposts, and started to rape us. I don't know how many times. I don't remember the rescue. I remember coming to, somewhere. Conrad's knife was in reach. I took it and stabbed myself in the gut because I could. Gwendal and Conrad tried to stop me. My majutsu worked again, so I flamed them."

Yuuri quietly tucked that away in a screaming corner of his mind to deal with later, possibly in nightmares for the rest of his life, filling in the details of that dead flat statement, _I don't know how many times_. Yet his strange clarity stayed with him. Right now, the only important thing about that hideous story was that Wolfram vomited it out of his system like the poison it was, and never had to tell Yuuri again.

So he responded calmly and firmly, "I love you, Wolfram. So do Conrad and Gwendal. Even if you did toast them a bit."

"Did you hear. What I said," said Wolfram.

"Every word of it. And out of that whole hell, I responded with the _only_ thing that matters."

He gently turned Wolfram's head to look him in the eyes. They could only open partway, their brilliant emerald green clotted with blood. Yuuri spoke with conviction, _willing_ Wolfram to see it as he saw it, so clearly. "Every man who did this to you is dead. _Nothing_ of what happened to you matters, except that you get well. Your family loves you. Greta loves you. I love you."

Wolfram's eyes quivered. He gulped. He started to shake. At first, he whispered. It built to a scream of terror. "Don't touch me. _Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH MEEEEEEEE!"_ His mitted hands started to clutch at himself.

Yuuri had no choice but to hold him down, to keep him from tearing at his own bandages. He half-lay over Wolfram's torso, without putting any weight on him, to protect it from moving too much as Wolfram thrashed. He gently held both Wolfram's hands to his sides and rested his forehead to Wolfram's forehead. "Please, Wolfram," he whispered, heart aching. "Please stop. Please stop hurting yourself. I love you. I won't let you hurt yourself any more."

"Donttouchme, donttouchme, donttouchme…" Wolfram continued to mutter and shudder and thrash the little he could. "No, _nooooo…._"

"I'm going to hold you, until you're back to the here and now. And it'll get better. I swear to you Wolfram, it'll get better. It was horrible, but it's over, and every day, every minute, it's going farther away from you, and _you will get better,_ I swear to you, love."

"_Noooo_…there's no way out of here…I just want to die. Paol died, Robair died, they were bleeding and screaming for someone to just kill them, they were begging me to kill them and I couldn't reach them…they all died, all my men died, my troopers died, they died trying to protect me, why didn't I die…I want to die…don't touch me, don't touch me…_noooooo_….."

And it went on like that for a long time. Eventually Wolfram cried himself to sleep, that outpouring of emotion overwhelming his battered and broken and starving and hated body.

"I was wrong, Wolfram," Yuuri whispered to the sleeping man, still holding him close. "I said I didn't know what love was, or whether I loved you. I was wrong. I do love you. I know that now. I'll do whatever it takes to get you back."

Yuuri hadn't missed the rescue mission after all. There was a long way to go.

-oOo-

Conrad and Gwendal came to spell him in late afternoon, hair only slightly singed. Gwendal assured him they were old hands at this. They'd changed the mercurial little firebug's diapers, after all. Gwendal was carrying a knitted dragon – well, _he_ said it was a dragon – he'd been knitting secretly for Greta. Yuuri kissed it and set it by Wolfram's hand.

"He'll probably throw it. He could use a zillion things to throw. I hope you won't be offended."

"Has he…been calm?" Conrad asked, gently stroking Wolfram's hair.

"…He's kind of all over the place, mentally," said Yuuri. "He was calm a while, but after he told me what happened…he freaked out. I had to pin him down to keep him from hurting himself until he cried himself to sleep."

"He told you what happened…" Conrad said wonderingly.

"So he's still suicidal," added Gwendal sadly.

"He'll get better," Yuuri asserted. "Right now, I need to talk to Greta. I'll be back in an hour or so."

Gwendal glared at him, jaw clenched. "You don't want a briefing?"

"Not here or now," Yuuri said, with calm authority. "First things first."

And Gwendal, too, looked at him in new respect. But Conrad only had eyes for his baby brother.

-oOo-

Yuuri found Greta alone in the garden, and plopped down beside her on the grass. The little girl was focused completely on weaving a little cord out of grass, and didn't look up. Through the kitchen windows, rising and falling in loudness and pitch, Yuuri could hear a heartbroken Sanguria keening.

"I couldn't leave Wolfram for a while," he began. "I'm going to have to spend a lot of time alone with him. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come talk to you."

Greta didn't look up from her grass weaving. "Can I see him?"

Yuuri pictured Greta seeing Wolfram as he'd just seen him, and set aside the ugly image. "No, sweetie, he's not well enough. Though he _will_ be, and I know he'll want to see you soon. In the meantime, I need your help."

That got her to look up, huge brown eyes close to overflowing with tears. "I can help?_ Really?"_

_"Really,"_ said Yuuri emphatically. "I need all those letters you wrote to Wolfram, and the cards we made for him together. And I want you to keep on writing them, and give them to me every day, OK? Oh, and if he could borrow some of your stuffed animals, I think those would help, too."

Greta smiled and jumped up, holding out a hand to "pull" Yuuri up. "Let's go to my room and get them right now! Wolfram can borrow _all _my stuffed animals."

Yuuri hardly knew how to part with the girl after several armfuls – not all – of the stuffed animals had been tied in a sheet for carrying. Fortunately, Annissina arrived and took charge, with a maniacal gleam in her eye.

"Go do man things," she waved Yuuri off. "This young lady and I are taking over the_ kitchen!_" Greta clapped her hands in glee, gave Yuuri a quick peck on the cheek, and ran off ahead of Annissina, delighted at the prospect of making a really _big_ mess.

"Thank you, Annissina," Yuuri said, heartfelt, clasping her hand.

Annissina nodded, assured. "I got here as soon as I heard – no one thought to tell _me,"_ she accused. "Don't worry about Greta, I've got things under control." Yuuri grinned, watching her march off to storm the kitchens. It felt good, _really_ good, to have his friends back, people he could count on.

-oOo-

Giesela and her assistants headed him off when Yuuri tried to return to his bedroom. "All the other wounded are taken care of. It's imperative now that we establish Wolfram's recovery." By this she meant the ability to digest a meal and defecate, both impossible with lacerated gut and rectum. But in the meantime, Wolfram was starving to death.

"Is there anything you can do for his…mental equilibrium?" Yuuri inquired.

Giesela looked away sadly. "That will take longer, I imagine. In any case, for now, go eat, catch up with people freely where he can't hear you, and get someone back here in about two hours. I don't want loved ones in the room while we work. But tonight you'll have to take turns watching him like a hawk."

Yuuri dropped off his bundles in the window embrasure, briefly brushed a hand through the hair of the sleeping Wolfram, then headed down to dinner with Conrad and Gwendal. He was famished, not having eaten since a breakfast he hadn't really been hungry for. _Wolfram hasn't eaten in four days._

"I had a question," Yuuri said. "Paol and Robair and the rest of Wolfram's troop?"

"Paol and Robair were already dead by the time we reached them," said Conrad. "It took a long time…no one dared give up the raiders. It was just luck that Yozak caught wind of Adelbert in Mizrat and we hooked up. Adelbert still had contacts enough to track them down. It's amazing that Wolfram was still alive. Over two days…he lost a lot of blood."

Gwendal took up the tale. "Two more of Wolfram's troop died of their wounds. Axel was the least wounded in the original fight. He's the one who came back to guide us, and he wouldn't stop going after the hostages. When he saw Paol and Robair's bodies, and what Wolfram looked like… Axel went berserk, killed 6 men singlehandedly before they got him. The last surviving trooper, Andrei, lost an eye and right hand. He's already on his way home to Bielenfeld."

"Any other casualties?"

"Not on our side. Quite a few wounded. They'll recover."

They arrived in the dining room to find Cheri uncharacteristically slumped in a chair. She rose and ran to them, insistently folding Conrad and Gwendal into a group hug. "Giesela headed me off before I could go see him," she complained. "I've been running a floating hospital all day, while my baby…"

Yuuri rubbed her back from outside the hug huddle. "Two hours – we'll take the next watch together, Hahaue," then calmly walked over to sit at the head of the table. Cheri looked after him in touched surprise – Yuuri wasn't in the habit of calling her 'mother', yet he seemed to do it automatically, without thought.

"Well, I'm looking forward to dinner tonight," Yuuri forcibly set the tone for the meal. "Greta and Annissina have taken over the kitchens from Sanguria. Ah! There's the beautiful assistant chef, now! What have you cooked for me, Greta?"

What the meal lacked in its usual quality, it made up for in heart. Greta was apparently in charge of arranging things on plates in happy faces, and garnishing with edible flowers.

It turned out Adelbert von Gratz was already gone. After the day spent on heavy lifting for the hospital ship, he'd borrowed Cheri's yacht and crew to give him a lift up the broad Donza River to visit Gratz, a trip that took days on horseback but only hours by Cheri's wind-majutsu powered yacht. "I could hardly refuse," said Cheri. "After all he's done for us. And he promised to bring Wolfram's poor friend Andrei back to his parents in Bielenfeld."

"Von Gratz went to Bielenfeld?" Gwendal frowned. Cheri looked at him thoughtfully, then seemed to resign herself to something, and resumed eating.

"It can't be helped," Conrad said softly.

"Oh, that's right," said Yuuri. "Adelbert called Wolfram his cousin?"

"Second cousin," explained Conrad. "Adelbert's mother and Wolfram's father's mother are sisters, very close. And Gratz and Bielenfeld border one another. Adelbert von Gratz and Manfred von Bielenfeld grew up close as brothers. Though, later they had a falling out."

"Manfred had a 'falling out' with everyone," said Cheri sadly.

"Well, eventually, so did von Gratz," Gwendal said in fairness. "Strong-minded men." And the conversation was firmly steered away from the apparently painful topic.

-oOo-

It was a long night. Cheri and Conrad and Yuuri stayed in the room with Wolfram, taking turns sleeping and keeping watch on him. Gwendal looked torn between wanting to stay and gruff shyness at the obvious lack of need for him to do so. In the end he wandered off, to attack his mountain of paperwork well into the night, Yuuri suspected.

Unsurprisingly, his mother was by far the most skilled at soothing Wolfram when he started reliving his captivity, followed in a close second by Conrad. The habit of trusting the ones who had calmed the night terrors of a small child ran deep. One time Yuuri woke to Wolfram screaming, and within minutes, Cheri had him back in hand and cheerfully bickering about techniques to improve Greta's penmanship.

Heartbreakingly, Yuuri didn't fare nearly so well. In Wolfram's fevered, shattered mind and emotions, Yuuri touching him and his rapists touching him were too closely related. He went most readily over the edge, most deeply into hell, when Yuuri had to pin him down. At those times, Cheri confidently took over and cradled her grown child like a baby.

In the morning, Cheri shooed Conrad and Yuuri out to do their normal morning exercise, while she and Giesela fed Wolfram his first semi-solid meal of porridge. After breakfast with Greta, Yuuri was headed to his office to pick up a pile of paperwork to bring back to his bedroom. He was stopped in his tracks in the gallery, by a vision of Wolfram, leaning on a cane, staring up into the portrait of Shinou, Wolfram on the wall.

"Wolfram!" he blurted.

The man who was not Wolfram turned and smiled grimly. "Manfred von Bielenfeld. You must be the Maou, Yuuri heika. Could you direct me to my son's room?"

-oOo-

Please review…


	4. Chichiue

Kyou kara Maou : The Bedding of Wolfram

Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Warnings: not a very cheerful story, of course. Rated M for explicit gore and sexual details, but the aim is not particularly pornographic, just mature. I don't think there are any spoilers. Details that seem like spoilers are probably ones I made up.

_Please review._

_Update: just cleaning up._

Chapter 4 : Chichiue

"Ah! Lord Bielenfeld, I'm, ah," _stunned? petrified? why the hell did no one mention that Wolfram's father was_ alive? "honored to meet you. I was just headed back to the room myself. I hope you don't mind a brief stop at my office?" Yuuri gestured down the hall from the gallery.

"Quite alright," Manfred replied dryly. "It's _Professor _von Bielenfeld, by the way, although you may call me Manfred. 'Von Bielenfeld-sensei' is… tedious. I'm chair of healing at the Bielenfeld Majutsu Institute, though I teach fire as well. Dual talents, same as Wolfram."

_Obviously, after that gaffe,_ _there's no point pretending Wolfram's spoken of him, _Yuuri realised, as he selected a pile of work. "Manfred-sensei, then. Please call me Yuuri. Did you arrive on Cheri's yacht? I hear Adelbert took it to Bielenfeld. We're grateful for his help finding Wolfram. He was running out of time. Adelbert saved his life."

"That's right. We hadn't spoken since Suzanna Julia von Wincott's funeral. How that tragedy could have turned him against the Great One and Mazoku to side with _humans,_" Manfred seemed to change course in mid-stride, "well, we argued, I'm afraid. But he seems more moderate now. He attributed that largely to your work to build peace with the humans, by the way. In the end, we talked most of the night. With especial attention to his adventures with you and Wolfram, of course."

While perfectly courteous, somehow this wasn't friendly. Manfred limped slowly on his cane, so the walk to Yuuri's room took some time. Yuuri had always known Wolfram for a mama's boy, but he was unnerved by this difficult man wearing Wolfram's face.

"And here's our room," said Yuuri, wincing on the _our_ just after it was said.

"Quite alright," said Manfred. "My son and I keep in touch. Yuuri." And without knocking, he simply opened the door and walked in. Cheri bolted upright from where she knelt by Wolfram's bedside. Giesela ran a last monitoring hand over Wolfram's body, then strode to Manfred to shake hands with a warm smile.

"Good to see you, Giesela," said Manfred. "Fine technique as always."

"Thank you, Manfred-sensei," said Giesela. "Glad to see you. Wolfram's case is… out of my league as a battlefield hack."

"Not at all. I visited with trooper Andrei last night. Few would have managed to save either of those eyes. I commend you. _Although. _We should see you at the Institute more often, hmm? If only because we enjoy your company. Shin Makoku could use more '_battlefield hacks'_ of your caliber. I'll have you teaching next time."

Giesela flushed at the compliment. "Thank you, sensei! If you'll excuse me." And she curtseyed out the room.

"Cecilie," Manfred greeted her coldly. "My turn." Conrad looked friendlier over locked swords than Wolfram's parents looked at each other. _Steel, meet steel._

Cheri bridled. "I should stay."

"Don't start," said Wolfram, tiredly. "Hahaue, Yuuri, please give us the room."

Yuuri desperately wanted to go kiss Wolfram's brow before leaving. It was agony to be separated for even an hour when he was so concerned about him. But, not only would it likely set off his parents, but maybe also Wolfram himself. "Alright… I'll be back in an hour, Wolfram."

As Cheri also moved to leave, Manfred said, "Yuuri, perhaps you could come back with lunch instead. If you'll send someone about noon, I'll give them the menu for Wolfram." Nominally phrased as a request, this was an order.

Yuuri turned to stare down Manfred, giving the Maou orders, in his own _bedroom_, no less, but Wolfram said, "It's alright, Yuuri. After lunch we can spend some time alone together. Hahaue, I'll see you tonight."

Yuuri was new to this being in love thing. His heart leapt and pounded at Wolfram's small crumbs. He blushed and nodded and his eyes shone. "I look forward to it. Wolfram."

-oOo-

"It's been a long time, Chichiue," greeted Wolfram as Manfred sat on the edge of his bed.

"Mm, too long as usual, pretty vixen. Ach, child, I give you a face like _this_ and you go and do _that_ to it. _Ingrate!_ Hmm, not even a chuckle, eh? Perhaps you're not feeling well, let's take a look." Manfred ran a monitoring hand, with the sureness of over a century of practice, from Wolfram's head to toe, then arranged blankets to keep him warm, yet expose his abdomen. "So, Yuuri's decorative, no wonder you haven't visited lately. Didn't know you ran that way, though I couldn't find a tactful way of bringing it up in a letter. 'Bert told me this stabbed peritoneum was self-inflicted. Giesela really does fine work. We'll have you eating meat and vegetable soup for lunch, I think. Of course, I'll insist the patient work to heal himself, instead of kill himself. Quit being _lazy." _

Despite this steady monologue, Manfred had already set in healing Wolfram's gut, orange flames emanating from his palm and fingers where they rested skin-to-skin below the navel, flaming tendrils lapping down his crotch and playing across his belly.

Wolfram started to sweat, and frowned and turned his face away. "Chichiue, that's…"

"Well, if you get a hard-on, don't expect_ me_ to help you with it. Clinically, I should be glad to see it. You don't like me healing your gut, quit stabbing yourself."

Nevertheless, he laid off the flames and studied his handiwork for a bit. "Good. For this morning. One more session of that this afternoon should be it for the gut. Next, your face, I think." He turned Wolfram's face to and fro and looked in at the teeth. "Well, unlike Giesela, I think healing the face is a priority. Mind you, this has nothing to do with your mental state._ Pure_ narcissism on my part."

"Chichiue, stop! It hurts to laugh!"

"Ah, so gratifying the way you share my acid wit… Alright, a mirror! Now, who's the fairest one of all? I think I look better. More distinguished, and that extra little bit of height gives me authority and presence, don't you think? You may be cuter, though. Too preciously cute for a man. You get that from Cecilie."

"Please try to get along with Hahaue while you're here?"

"We always try. Just be glad we never married. She was happier getting back together with that human, Weller. Come back to Bielenfeld instead. We could borrow Cecilie's yacht tomorrow."

"My life is here."

"Is it? That wasn't a casual suggestion, by the way, Wolfram. Now I'm afraid I'm going to get rough. Sorry, I need to take a break before healing your rump. Let's work on that screwed up head of yours a bit.

"So let's see. Your life here. As an officer, you're short a troop. Or do you fancy yourself a royal wife? Not a bad plan. Take after your Uncle Stoeffel, be the power behind the throne, let the pretty half-human unify the nations. Outlive him and take after Mama Maou, and rule the world, hmm? Though… unless I miss my guess… touching your lover after being brutally gang-raped for a couple days… might be a snag?"

Tears were running down Wolfram's face, eyes clenched shut. "_Ouch?"_

"You'd lose it if I got sappy, pretty vixen. Left to the sunshine crew, you'd be petted and coddled and _poor little Wolfie_'d into staying sick forever. But never fear, _your Dark Side is here!_ And I'm going to kick your ass until you pick up the pieces and get on with your life. Bwah. Ha, ha."

Wolfram was stuck groaning, laughing, and crying at the same time.

-oOo-

To Yuuri's vast relief, Manfred decamped the moment he opened the door, so he and Wolfram could lunch alone together. He nearly dropped the soup tray when he saw the change in Wolfram. From a purpled battered bundle of rags just the day before… The face, the hair, even the ear and strangle-bruised neck – all restored to Wolfram's usual shining bishounen perfection. He even wore an earring.

Wolfram gave him a crooked grin, but didn't pretend not to enjoy the gaze – he loved preening for the audience, and always had. But he said, "Quit gawking in the doorway, Yuuri. I'm_ hungry."_

Suddenly shy, Yuuri focused on the mechanics of helping Wolfram eat soup in bed, and didn't try to talk much until the dishes were put away. He came back to sit on the edge of the bed by Wolfram, rubbed his hair awkwardly, said, "Ah, um…" and bent and kissed Wolfram on the forehead.

"_Don't touch me,_" Wolfram hissed involuntarily. Yuuri bolted up as though he'd been electrocuted, staring at Wolfram, looking for signs of him getting self-destructive again. But Wolfram just put a hand to his brow and said, "Sorry, I'm sorry… I just… I don't… Oy, Yuuri…"

And Yuuri lost it. For days now he'd kept it together, but now he bawled for a few minutes, racked with sobs. Wolfram tentatively put out a hand to stroke his shoulder, but snatched it back, and instead picked up the knitted dragon. He posed it one way and another and tugged its ears. After a couple minutes, Yuuri's crying squall passed and he mopped his face with a towel from the nightstand. "Sorry, I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know, why, now…"

Wolfram gave him a sideways evaluating glance, and settled on, "Well, you're an idiot and a wimp. I get that from my father, you know… Your timing sucks, Yuuri. If you'd decided a week ago that you loved me and kissed me then… Now… Your timing sucks. This whole thing _SUCKS!" _Wolfram suddenly yelled that last and hurled the knitted dragon at a bedpost.

"Ah, that reminds me!" said Yuuri. "Greta let me borrow gobs of stuffed animals." He brought over the neglected bundle of toys and dumped them onto Wolfram en masse. "I figured hurling things would help. Well, maybe because I'm a baseball idiot wimp. But, you know, we could set up a point system. That bedpost is only worth one, sorry. The valet stand is five, your vanity is ten. For starters."

Wolfram, inundated in unidentifiable Gwendal-knitted animals, started laughing and hurling and laughing and crying, then settled on crying. But like Yuuri's bout, it lasted only a few minutes. Yuuri wryly handed him the used towel.

"The next part of that present was the letters," Yuuri said. "She's written you every day. We made cards one day together. Sparkly bits and stuff. You're an incredible parent, Wolfram. She did exactly what you told her to do, every day, even when you weren't there."

Wolfram lay with his head back on his pillow, tilted towards Yuuri, wrung out. "You're not half bad yourself," he said. "She adores you. You don't give yourself enough credit, Yuuri." He closed his eyes.

"Can I hold your hand without you flipping out?" asked Yuuri.

"Let's try it," Wolfram murmured sleepily. And Yuuri held his hand and poured all his love into that small thing, while Wolfram fell asleep. Yuuri stayed that way until Manfred returned and kicked him out.

-oOo-

Yuuri strode into dinner as usual, ready to take the head of the table and set a bright tone for the meal, only to find Manfred had planted himself at the foot of the table. Gwendal and Cheri, Greta, Günter, and Giesela were already seated.

"Adelbert's still on his human-loving kick, but seems a little more rational these days," Manfred was saying. "Though I suppose I can't complain. His contacts with the Mizrati scum did save Wolfram's life, as Yuuri was saying."

"_Maou heika,"_ Günter attempted to correct him.

"Oh, hi, Yuuri," Manfred said, intentionally missing the point. "Anyway, so Adelbert intended to visit Gratz for a couple days, but if any of his human pets show up, I imagine baby brother Brendan'll kick him out fast."

"Under the inspired leadership of Maou-heika, we're now_ allies_ with all of our human neighbors –" began Günter.

_"Chichiue Wolfram!"_ squealed Greta, and ran for the door. And indeed, leaning heavily on Conrad, wrapped in one of Yuuri's bathrobes, Wolfram tottered into the room. Physically healed as he was, he was still weak as a kitten. Replacing all that lost blood would take time.

_"Greta!_ Ah, don't knock me over! I've missed you so much, let me sit with you at dinner. You don't mind, Yuuri? Move." And Wolfram took over his spot facing off down the length of the table against Manfred. Yuuri perforce moved to his left, perplexed by Wolfram suddenly messing with protocol.

"Chichiue, I haven't introduced you to our daughter Greta, yet." Since Wolfram wasn't about to move, and Greta was hiding behind him scared of the human-hostile Wolfram clone, Manfred perforce came to the head of the table and bowed to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Greta." He didn't try to touch her, and walked back to the foot of the table. "Good to see you up, pretty vixen."

"_Must _you call him that?" Cheri complained.

"A deal, Cecilie – if you stop calling him _Wolfie._ No surprise the lad turned out fey."

"Don't start," said Wolfram. "Greta, I haven't had a chance to read all your letters yet, but Yuuri tells me great things about how you held him up while I was gone. Good work! I'm playing with the animals, too."

"He beat me 50 to 33 just now," Conrad told Yuuri. "New rule – hitting a nightstand subtracts three points, minus ten for guests, but only minus one for relatives." Yuuri grinned, Gwendal twitched, but this all sailed safely over Greta's head.

"I'm helping Annissina in the kitchen!" Greta told Wolfram proudly.

"Annissina's running the kitchens?" Manfred said, looking. Yuuri feared he considered this inappropriate for a lady of her rank, but instead he said, "That girl's gotten _hot._ You don't mind if I do something about that, Gwendal?"

"Now I _thought_ I saw your hand in this," Wolfram praised Greta, peering at the happy face salad arrangement. "I like the purple fruit nose. Would you mind running into the kitchen? Ask them to bring out the wine for me. Good girl!"

"For me as well, if you could, Greta," Manfred added. "I'll match you glass for glass."

"Manfred, how could you, he's ill," said Cheri. Yuuri noted that Giesela seemed unconcerned, however.

"Wine _all_ around," clarified Wolfram. _"Lots."_ As she disappeared, he added, "Chichiue, let's skip the sexual adventures while my daughter's at table, hm?"

"Ah, free love – it figures the only thing Cecilie and I agree on, you'd be opposed to," said Manfred dryly. That surprised a laugh out of both Conrad and Gwendal. As the wine came in and the server made to fill Yuuri's goblet first, he added, "Good God, Wolfram, upend that child's goblet."

Wolfram avoided Yuuri's eye, but poured water into his wine glass. "Half and half," he conceded.

"Annissina's kindly taken over the kitchens temporarily," Yuuri tried backtracking the conversation. "Our main cook was involved with Paol, who was… with Wolfram," he finished lamely.

"Paol, eh? A toast!" Manfred announced, standing. When everyone had wine, he continued, "To absent friends and comrades. I salute Paol." He paused in thought a moment. "And Robair… and Axel, was it?" he asked Wolfram.

Wolfram raised his glass, dead serious, though he didn't try to stand. "To Paol, lover of Sanguria, to Robair lover of Axel, and," he paused, "and to Axel… my first lover…" his voice broke. Everyone at table except Gwendal and Manfred looked surprised at that news. Wolfram continued, "Shinou bless and hold you. I will remember this life and death of yours as long as I shall live, and toast to your rebirth." And Wolfram drained the glass in one go.

"To Paol and Robair and Axel," the others murmured, and drank the toast. Conrad, Gwendal, and Manfred matched Wolfram drop for drop, so refilled their goblets promptly.

"Ah, Wolfram, eat a little," coaxed Yuuri. Wolfram dutifully took a bite of bread, but was lost in thought.

"So, Giesela," said Manfred, also modeling _eating _ toward Wolfram, "he's not in physical pain any more, so I'd like to cut off the recreational drugs."

Giesela cast a concerned eye at Wolfram. "If you think…"

"He'll feel no pain tonight, that's for sure," said Manfred, as Wolfram raised his glass again.

"To Viel, songwriter. To Taran, fellow painter. To Pyotr, who loved gardening. I salute you." Wolfram drained his glass.

"Manfred, for God's sake," said Cheri. "I can't bear to watch this brutality. I'm leaving."

"I'd like to take Wolfram back to Bielenfeld. Cecilie."

Yuuri's heart hammered as he stared at Manfred in shock. He turned to Wolfram. _NO! Please, don't go, don't leave me._

But Wolfram had already passed out on his arm on the table.

-oOo-

_**Please review.**_


	5. Yuuri Lover

Kyou kara Maou : The Bedding of Wolfram

Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Warnings: not a very cheerful story, of course. Rated M for explicit gore and sexual details, but the aim is not particularly pornographic, just mature. I don't think there are any spoilers. Details that seem like spoilers are probably ones I made up.

_Please review._

_Update: just cleaning up._

Chapter 5 : Yuuri Lover

The days passed. Wolfram's strength returned slowly. He still spent most of his time in his room with his father. He lunched in his room with Greta and Yuuri, but joined the usual group at the dinner table. A détente was established whereby Manfred didn't dine with them anymore. _Wolfram's guest, Wolfram can deal with him._

Though Yuuri had always known in theory that Wolfram took his fidelity seriously and rebuffed endless opportunities, watching Manfred take the opposite tack was a bit scary. The black-humored, gorgeous Manfred was wildly popular among the women of the castle, save Cheri. Watching Gwendal flounder in mixed feelings while Manfred hit on Annissina did help brighten an otherwise trying time.

By his second day there, Manfred declared the suicide watch over, and Yuuri and Wolfram had the room to themselves again at night. Yuuri stubbornly refused to move out or have a cot brought in, though Wolfram couldn't cope with them sharing the bed. Instead Yuuri brought an overstuffed armchair to sleep by Wolfram's side, and held his hand all night.

Wolfram still flinched at any other attempt by Yuuri to touch him, though he could handle hugs and kisses from his family. He was buffeted by mood swings – never really his strong suit at the best of times – and the nightmares were constant and terrifying. Because Yuuri held his hand, he was fairly sure he woke up to talk Wolfram through all of those. Yuuri ached to climb into bed and hug him close then, but honored Wolfram's flinching skittishness and didn't do it.

"Wolfram…" Yuuri asked, one of those nights in the gloom, "why didn't you ever tell me about your father."

"Mm, no real reason, I guess. Habit. Keeping my mother's side and my father's side separate. You just kinda fell into my mother's side. And… I spend most of my life on my mother's side."

"Does it help? All this time you spend talking to Manfred?"

"Yeah, it does. I'm sorry, I know having him here is a strain for everybody… Chichiue's had a lot of related experiences himself, though not so bad, and he's been a healer for a century, helping people put their lives back together… Most people in my position, he'd insist on taking back to Bielenfeld to work it through. Heh. He says I'm a perfectionist. If I were just willing to hate humans, give up male lovers, toss the soldiering, and be a healer, like him, I'd be a happily bitter man in no time." He chuckled darkly. That was another thing Yuuri had to get used to – that Wolfram had Manfred's wicked sense of humor. He had to admit, though, it served Wolfram well now.

"Anyway, Chichiue's learned some tricks over the years. How to engage and disengage, re-experience and detach, and just kind of work through the feelings. I'm lucky a little, in that he taught me these tricks long ago. Starting from learning how to do it would… take a lot longer. But since I already know how, he just has to keep me _doing_ it, much as I'd like to crawl under the covers and hide."

"Wolfram… Could I ask… What you're trying to work through now?"

Wolfram was silent a few moments, thinking, then squeezed Yuuri's hand. "It's not really like that. If you could get it… all… sifted into neat little piles, all unrelated, it would be easy, but… It all goes back and forth and crisscrosses. Robair and Axel and Yuuri and a rapist and back to Axel and forward to Yuuri. Healing versus fire and fighting and Chichiue and Hahaue and guilt. A tangled mess."

"But," and in this, Yuuri's heart was in his throat, and he whispered, "you don't need to leave for Bielenfeld? You can stay here and get well? With me? Wolfram… please don't give up on me. I won't give up on you."

Wolfram was silent again, and when he resumed speaking, Yuuri could hear the now all-too-familiar quaver of soft crying in his voice. "The thing is, Yuuri, I don't know… what I am anymore. I don't think I can just pick up and be an officer again, raise another majutsu troop. I have the potential as a healer… I was studying under Suzanna Julia… I just turned my back on it when she died. I couldn't… didn't want to… be compassionate then. And you… I want to trust you, but I never _can,_ because you keep deserting me to go back to Japan… Oh, _God,_ Yuuri, if you abandoned me now…"

And Yuuri cried, too, because for that he had no answer – his travel between worlds was completely at Shinou's mercy. "I hate him, I hate Shinou. _I_ should be the one to decide when I come and go…"

"Don't say that, Yuuri. That's treason."

-oOo-

The next day Yuuri spotted Manfred on a balcony flirting with Annissina, and something Wolfram said in the night came back to him: _You're on my mother's side._ He'd been coming to loathe Manfred, but Yuuri refused to _loathe_ anybody. _I'm not on Cheri's side. I'm on Wolfram's side. And this man is too._

He walked out to the balcony and greeted them.

"Well, I should run along," said Annissina, with a peck on Manfred's cheek. "Later, you rascal!" And she sashayed off the balcony, with a coquettish glance behind.

"I do love the maniacal gleam in that girl's eye," Manfred mused, watching Annissina's backside until she passed from view. "What can I do for you, Yuuri?"

"Ah, Manfred-sensei… I'd like you to help me encourage Wolfram to stay here. To get well."

"Mmm, no can do," said Manfred. "The problem with that, is that Wolfram has another home to go to, another life he could pick up if he can't make this one work out. I'm simply pointing that out, and telling him that he's always welcome to my world. And obviously, I'm never going to take _that_ back. _However._ Yuuri… Would you mind a bit of advice?"

Stinging, Yuuri suspected he'd mind very much, but that… wasn't in the spirit of why he came out to the balcony. "Ah… well, I guess I could use it."

Manfred laughed. _"Wimp." _Yuuri thought at first that Manfred was calling him one, as his son did constantly. "You ever wonder, why it is Wolfram calls you that?"

"Ah… Because I want to make peace with humans and don't put to death the people who cross me? It hasn't been easy for him to accept that about me. Ah, I'm kinda surprised he ever did."

"Mm, me too! God knows, _I'll_ never agree with you on it. Politics." That was a dismissal – Manfred considered politics uninteresting. Cecilie did politics. He did majutsu. "I think it's, uh, simpler than that, Yuuri. Try again. Something… more personal, more emotional?"

"Umm…"

"Think _pink."_

Yuuri blushed._ Think pink_ immediately brought to mind Wolfram's pink nightie.

Manfred was staring at him with an expression very like Wolfram's _you're-none-too-bright-are-you_ look. But Professor Manfred was trying _really_ hard to make Yuuri fire his own neurons. "Think pink _negligeé_. Think sexy fiancé in bed? Think… pretty girl climbs into bed with you, bats sexy eyelashes, and waits… waits, for _what?"_

"Ah, hah, for me to… kiss her?"

Manfred stared at him a moment, then motioned, _go on…_

"Wolfram… _Oh. _Really?"

Manfred patted him on the back, hard. "Be a man, son. Or let the pretty vixen _go…_ happy thought that…" And Manfred wandered off, to chase skirts no doubt.

Yuuri feared that whatever new respect he'd lately earned at Blood Pledge Castle, after that conversation, Manfred von Bielenfeld would forever consider him an idiot. And a… _wimp. _

-oOo-

At bedtime, Yuuri considered simply climbing into bed with Wolfram. The blond was already asleep. Yuuri pictured climbing in, and waking Wolfram by firmly grabbing him and kissing him on the mouth. Yuuri pictured Wolfram raking his claws across Yuuri's face… _No, I have to wait for an opportunity…_ Yuuri pictured two almost-matching sardonic blond demons giving advice. _You could _make_ an opportunity. Idiot. _Yuuri climbed into his armchair in defeat, clutching Wolfram's hand. "I love you, Wolfram," he said quietly.

_"Mmm, wimp,"_ Wolfram muttered in his sleep, and rolled over toward him. Yuuri fell asleep.

The nightmare was bad. Wolfram screamed and sat upright, jolting Yuuri awake. Suddenly, his strange clarity was back. _I did it right the first time, when he first came back, _ he thought. He climbed into his bed and embraced Wolfram.

_"No, don't touch me, don't touch me…"_ Wolfram whispered.

"Shhh, love. It's alright. It's alright…you're here with me…" And Yuuri kissed him on the mouth, long and gentle. Wolfram protested a little at first, then gradually returned the kiss. Then he freaked out a little and tried to push Yuuri away.

"No, Yuuri, it's no good, I'm too scared…" He was going rigid and crying.

Yuuri firmly held Wolfram's head to his shoulder and pressed him tight by the small of his back, pushed a leg between his and held his leg tight too. "No," Yuuri murmured. "It's alright. This is nothing to be afraid of. Nothing like they were. I love you. You'll be OK. I won't let go."

"Yuuri…" it turned into a soft keening, but then Wolfram clasped Yuuri in return, hard. "Don't let go," he whispered.

"No, I won't let go," Yuuri said. He found Wolfram's mouth again and they enjoyed a long kiss. Yuuri felt himself getting hard, Wolfram getting hard, and firmly told himself to put any of _that_ feeling into the kiss for now. _Our first real kiss…_ "I love you. Oh, Wolfram, I love you…" Wolfram fell asleep before he did, but Yuuri kept him pressed tight, head to foot. He laughed at himself silently. _Oh, hell. And I thought Cheri could calm him down better… I'm sorry, love. I won't screw this up anymore. I promise._

The next night Wolfram was rather fearful when Yuuri kissed him goodnight. He didn't want Yuuri in bed with him – he was afraid it would give him nightmares. Would Yuuri sleep in the armchair again? And Yuuri kissed him again harder, but since Wolfram was still pushing him away, he acquiesced and slept in the chair. And when Wolfram woke with a nightmare, he climbed into bed as he had the night before, and held Wolfram as he had the night before, though stroking and exploring a bit more, pillow talking a bit more.

The next night Yuuri didn't ask, he simply got into bed and asked Wolfram to _fwoosh_ the lights out, then held him tight. Wolfram confided some fears, Yuuri got him to laugh a little, and they slept. And the nightmares were getting milder.

A couple nights later, while they were getting ready to sleep, Wolfram called him a wimp. Yuuri laughed and murmured, "Wimp, huh?" and tugged Wolfram's nightgown up so he could reach more. Not penetration, not yet. It didn't matter if it wasn't ever. There was plenty more they could do. And gradually, gently, they did.

-oOo-

"Ah!" Yuuri said, "what a gorgeous morning!" Conrad was tossing a ball while he stretched.

"You and Wolfram are both looking suspiciously happy these days," commented Conrad with a big smile.

"Mm, are we?" said Yuuri. "I hear you're going to fence with him this afternoon? Ah, that'll be good to see, Wolfram with a sword again. That should cheer him up."

"Maybe," said Conrad. "We'll take it easy and see how it goes. Er, Yuuri? Perhaps we should hit the baths instead of playing ball before work."

Yuuri laughed. "OK, I'll take the hint. Meet you there."

As he undressed in the baths, Yuuri could smell Conrad's point. His nocturnal adventures might require a little adjustment in the daily routine. Fine by him. He scrubbed extra special thoroughly, resolved to do so again after dinner, and slipped into the bath for a nice soak. "Ah…." He adored a float in this vast piping hot bath pool.

"_YUURI!"_ yelled Conrad.

And Yuuri looked up to see the whirlpool forming, dragging him into it. _"NO!!! NOT NOW!"_ he screamed.

-oOo-

Please review.


	6. Conrad's Gift

Kyou kara Maou : The Bedding of Wolfram

Summary: It takes a tragedy to crystallize Yuuri's feelings for Wolfram, but it may be too little too late. Can his family and Yuuri save a broken Wolfram?

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Warnings: not a very cheerful story, of course. Rated M for explicit gore and sexual details, but the aim is not particularly pornographic, just mature. I don't think there are any spoilers. Details that seem like spoilers are probably ones I made up.

_Please review._

_Update: just cleaning up._

Chapter 6 : Conrad's Gift

_"NO!" _Yuuri screamed, with every fiber of his being, swirling in the watery passage between worlds. "This is… _UNJUST!"_ He began to glow. "_YOU_ _SHINOU _dally with the lives of your faithful servants, treating those who serve you as toys and _PLAYTHINGS!_ _THIS IS UNJUST! I WILL SHOW YOU JUSTICE!"_

Electric blue snaking dragons of water erupted from the Maou, pushing him back toward Shin Makoku.

_"YOU WILL NOT DEFY ME!_" a voice reverberated all around him. Echoes of cackling heebie-jeebie sounds burst around him like Dolby surround-sound on a really bad acid trip. Snakes of roiling black and red smoke attacked the Maou's water dragons. The balance dragged towards Earth. Slipped back toward Shin Makoku. Back towards Earth. _"IMPASSE! YOU WILL OBEY OR YOU WILL DROWNNNNNN!"_

_"You would not DARE to drown me, or your plans would be delayed another EPOCH! Set this Maou and his deserving servants FREE!"_

The heebie-jeebies in the surround sound turned to callous mocking children's laughter. The balance of battling dragons slipped, inch by cruel inch, toward Earth.

_"GIVE IN, CHILD MAOU, YOUR DROWNING IS UPON YOU!!!"_

And in a sudden _SPLASH!,_ Yuuri found himself battling for air in the bathroom at home, Murata gasping at his side. Yuuri sobbed once and lay his head on his arms on the side of the bathtub, panting.

"Blech. Rough ride, eh, Shibuya?"

"I need to go back. I need to go back to Shin Makoku _right now,_ Murata! How can I do it?"

"Well, we can go back in a few hours," Murata said, casually grabbing a towel. "I just had to come back for the season finale of _Kool Koala Mai-luu._ You watch that anime, don't you?"

"You… you_ – you dragged me from Shin Makoku for an ANIME?!?_ Without even _asking_ if I wanted to come?"

"Ah, uh," Murata smiled feebly, "well, I've been planning this a long time. Rodriguez-san is in town, he's coming to watch it with us…"

"_When_ will I get back to Shin Makoku – when _their_ time?"

"Ah, I dunno, Shibuya, couple days maybe if we stay for your Mom's curry… Hey, what's the big deal? We leave them for a week here, a month there, all the time. It's just a couple days… and _Shinou_ doesn't think you need to be there…"

_"Shinou_ be damned, Murata! I've got to get back there _TODAY!"_ Yuuri thought feverishly. "Set it up. _Now._ Set up the return trip!"

"But… I've gotta call Rodriguez-san. He rented a cell phone this time at Narita airport. Oh, man, he'll be so disappointed…" Murata rummaged in his pack for his cell.

"I'll take that. You set up, _NOW!"_ said Yuuri. He wrapped a towel around himself and stepped out into the hall. Good, his mother wasn't around. He ducked into his room and called Rodriguez-san.

"Hey, hey, Murata! I'm in Akihabara, just about to catch the train out there."

"Ah, hi, Rodriguez-san. No, it's me, Shibuya Yuuri. Wait – you're outside the hub station in Akihabara?" A light dawned in Yuuri's head. He had planned to just tell Rodriguez not to come, but – "Hey… isn't there a giant… uh, adult… superstore there? MegaBunny or something?"

"Oh, yeah, man, that place is amazing! Hey, wait, aren't you too young to –"

"Yeah, I need you to get something for me! It's for… Conrad. Yeah, he's getting married! To a guy. So I was telling him about these picture sex manuals I saw on a comedy on TV, haha, you ever seen anything like that?" _Sorry, Conrad._

"Yeah, sure, they have hetero and homo versions. MegaBunny had a great selection. Wow, Japan is, like, way more open than the US, huh?"

_I doubt it._ "Of course! So, could you get me one of those homosexual how-to books, real quick, on your way here? Lots of diagrams, because his fiancé can only read the pictures, haha... Yeah, I'll pay you back."

"Oh, no way, man, my treat! I'll pick up some other things too, and it'll be from the both of us, huh? I'd love to get Conrad a wedding present! Say, how big is this guy?"

_Clothes?_ "Ah… maybe my size? Awesome, Rodriguez-san! But make it out here fast as you can, alright?"

"_Mochiron_, can't be late for_ Kool Koala Mai-luu!_ _Ja ne!"_

_Yeah, this might not work out so badly. If only Wolfram never finds out I left…_

-oOo-

Yuuri and Murata spluttered back into Blood Pledge Castle with a large, carefully wrapped package. Rodriguez made it with only 5 minutes to spare for the opening credits, so Yuuri hadn't looked in the package, just wrapped it in a trashbag and dragged Murata by the ear back to the bathtub, still whining about having to watch _Kool Koala Mai-luu _from video tape instead of waiting another half hour.

"Your reward for dragging me to Earth against my will. And I'm holding the video hostage. You drag me to Earth again without warning me, I erase it!"

"_NO!_ OK, OK, Shibuya. Jeez… Didn't even get Mama's curry… Hey, why haven't I gotten an invitation to Conrad and Yozak's wedding?"

_Because they've never dated so far as I know. _Ignoring Murata, Yuuri grabbed his sweaty clothes and ran to his bedroom in a towel. From what he saw through the windows it was no more than mid-afternoon. _It better be the same day, Murata, or you can kiss your Koala good-bye!_

He burst into his room, package and stinky-clothes laden and towel clad, only to find the obvious that he'd forgotten to expect – Wolfram and Manfred talking at the table by the windows. Trying to salvage his dignity, Yuuri strode to the bed and put down his packages. He nearly dropped his towel, but saved it from falling.

"Well, see you at the duel in a few minutes…" said Manfred, and left as quickly as his limp would permit. Which wasn't terribly quickly. Yuuri thought this might buy him time to put clothes on, but it was not to be. Wolfram was recovered enough to have a duel with Conrad, after all. As Yuuri tried to pick up his sweaty clothes, Wolfram skewered them to the bed with his sword. And waited silently, shoulders heaving, for Manfred to close the door.

"You. Went. Back. To. Earth. And these clothes… smell… My God, Yuuri, you went back to Earth and were _CHEATING ON ME!?!"_ In fear for his life, Yuuri quit bothering to hold up the towel and backed away, hands warding off Wolfram. Wolfram tried to rip his sword out from the skewered clothes. But the sword got stuck on the MegaBunny package from Rodriguez. In furious frustration, by the time Wolfram got the sword unstuck, the much-slashed package spilled all over the bed.

And Wolfram stood dumbfounded by the contents. Five boxes of condoms, six different violently colored and flavored lubes, a black leather lace-up men's merrywidow with cup, a small whip, pink feather-boa'd handcuffs and matching see-through feather boa edged negligeé, and black fishnet stockings lay amok. The one thing Yuuri'd asked for – the picture book – had fallen open right-side up to detailed diagrams of fellatio technique. Fury entirely forgotten in amazement and curiosity, Wolfram leaned over the book to study the diagrams more closely, absently opening a gaudy colored condom box at random. He plucked out a pink and silver holofoil square condom packet and flipped it to and fro between his fingers, reflecting the light. "Yuuri – what is this?"

"Ah, it…" Yuuri took the packet and ripped it open to take out the condom inside. As luck would have it Wolfram – well, Rodriguez really – had picked out something with texture nubs. "Aha! Um, normally they're just smooth, I've never seen one like this… They stretch, like…" He demonstrated _stretch. _"To go over…" He pointed to the diagram. "Ah, you can also blow them up like balloons, haha." But, he'd never seen a balloon on Shin Makoku, so he blew it up and tied it and tapped it up and over to Wolfram. Wolfram moved exactly one finger about half an inch to tap it back. Otherwise he stood there, still dumbfounded, staring open mouthed at Yuuri.

But then the humor of the situation, especially with Yuuri standing there naked and clearly somewhat affected by these proceedings, got the better of Wolfram, he who had inherited the blackest most evil sense of humor imaginable from his father Manfred. He whooped with laughter, holding onto the bed-post for support.

Yuuri, face flaming scarlet, picked up the handcuffs and whip, "I… didn't pick all this stuff out, I only asked for the book…" He shoved _those_ items into a fragment of trashbag and shoved them under his underwear in the wardrobe cupboard. He picked up some clean clothes – including typical Mazoku black g-string, of course – and brought them back to the bed to change into, but for the moment, just tied his towel back on and perched on the bed next to Wolfram. Still chuckling, Wolfram was leafing through the picture book and juggling the slow-moving condom balloon.

"Ah, umm…" said Yuuri.

"Don't even try," said Wolfram. "You went back to Earth. You didn't want to, you wanted to come back immediately. But somehow instead you ended up getting a pile of sex toys, because you still thought you could make it back the same day and I wouldn't know you'd left." Wolfram skewered him with a look. "Conrad told me the minute you left. Idiot."

"Ah. I'm still an idiot, but at least I'm trying not to be such a wimp?" suggested Yuuri. "Don't give up on me, Wolfram. Please," he whispered.

"Oh, heaven forfend. Then who'd read me my picture book?" Wolfram gave him the most demonic sideways glance and smile. "No, you're not getting off the hook."

"I was afraid you'd think I'd _'deserted'_ you again. I didn't, I swear I didn't, Wolfram. Shinou took me and I fought, the _Maou_ fought, with all we had, and lost. And we set up the return trip the minute I got there, I threatened Murata's _life_ for it. But yeah. Then I ended up waiting for someone to bring me the… picture book. I said it was a present for Conrad and Yozak's wedding."

Wolfram laughed. "Well, I'll be sure to share it with them."

"You wouldn't…"

"Of course I would. You said your friend picked these out especially for them, not me, right?" He picked up the merrywidow and negligee. "Not that they'd fit on Yozak. A pity – he'd love them, especially the pink."

"Ah, Rodriguez only knows Conrad. I told him Yozak was around my size."

"This one's your color," Wolfram said, dangling the black merrywidow on a fingertip. "Put it on."

-oOo-

They were a bit late for the duel. Wolfram brought along the condom balloon for Greta to play with. Yuuri complained that Conrad might know what it was, but Wolfram shrugged, saying, "His wedding gift, after all." And in fact, as Greta started chasing and bopping it around in the slight breeze with Dorcas, Conrad's eyes did narrow a moment, then widen considerably in surprise. Seeing Murata and Yozak standing by Conrad, Yuuri elected to go watch the duel from the gallery. He joined Manfred, von Trondheim, and Gwendal above the dueling zone.

"Well, Yuuri, you had a good long talk," said a deeply amused Manfred. "All's well, I take it."

"Ah, yes, misunderstanding all cleared up, thanks," said Yuuri, and greeted von Trondheim and Gwendal. The older men cordially resumed their conversation.

"Hard to believe I never caught on to Yozak and Conrad," von Trondheim said. "Right under my nose, eh? Wonder how long _that's_ been going on."

"Oh, a good seventy years, I think," said Manfred. "It's pretty open, though – not monogamous. You knew about it, didn't you, Gwendal?"

"I'd… suspected."

"So, Ted," Manfred was apparently speaking to von Trondheim, "think you can find some deskwork for my boy?"

"Oh, absolutely. I'd _make_ him a place. Actually, I'd love to have him teach the regular army fire-users. They're not up to his power level, but learning to make the most of what they've got could save lives in a pinch. Or, whatever he'd like to do. But surely Bielenfeld wants him?"

Manfred shrugged. "Eh, my lord uncle might express an opinion, but it's not like anyone listens to him." All three men chuckled. Yuuri smiled politely, not knowing von Bielenfeld-kaka. "For now the boy's on R&R. He's free to explore ideas for a decade or three, decide what he wants to do next."

Gwendal nodded. "There's no rush."

Conrad beat Wolfram easily, yet again. No surprise there. But Wolfram did fairly well, and didn't flinch from the blade. Yuuri smiled privately. Actually, Wolfram looked… pretty relaxed.

-oOo-

"So you'll definitely come for the wedding, Chichiue?" said Wolfram at the pier. Manfred was borrowing Cheri's yacht again for the trip home – horse-riding and his bum leg didn't mix.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Manfred intoned piously, hand on heart. Cheri giggled and mock-punched him. "Actually, did you know your mother and I met at a wedding? Wonderful things, weddings, for getting people's libido up. People – not me, of course – should have weddings _often."_

Wolfram and Manfred grinned at each other, perfectly matched demonic smiles. "Thank you for coming, Chichiue. I don't know what I'd have done without you." And Wolfram gave him a huge hug and kiss.

"Ah, Yuuri," Manfred said as he turned to him, hand extended for a shake. "Best of luck and all. Try to make the pretty vixen happy, hm? And not… be a wimp?"

Yuuri flushed, but said a heartfelt, _"Thank you._ For all you've done for Wolfram, and for me."

"Oh, Manfred, don't tell me you explained _wimp_ to him," complained Cheri, as she accompanied him into the yacht.

"Well, whyever not? It's not like him being an imbecile was making Wolfram happy." He paused to yell again from the top of the gangway. "Write more often, pretty vixen!"

"Yeah, right, sure!" yelled Wolfram back, waving.

"Because Yuuri's only _fifteen,"_ continued Cheri. "He would have figured it out himself when he was _old_ enough."

"Fif--! Oooh. _Ooops. _Oh, well, they look happy enough."

Cheri mock-punched him again. "You're_ incorrigible,_ Manfred."

-oOo-

Author's Notes:

This is the end of this story. I tacked on another chapter – **Epilogue** – because I originally wrote it as the epilogue for this story, before I wrote this story. But… I should have just left it standalone in retrospect. It still exists standalone.

Epilogue summary: there were some snags with the wedding.

But. Far more closely related to this story, there is a back story – **Axel** – set sometime between chapters 5 and 6 of this story, but instead of going off in the fluffy direction this story did, going deeper into Wolfram's past and coming to terms with his grief over losing his troop and mixed feelings about what to do about his career. So, more of a Wolfram's back story, couched as telling his father "about Axel" – but, in fact about the time after Conrad left to bring Suzanna Julia's soul to be reborn as Yuuri, when Adelbert turned his back on Shin Makoku, there was "great unrest" among the people, and Wolfram turned his back on healing, _and_ about Wolfram's first love affair, with Axel.

Anyway, you might want to read **Axel **next, then **Epilogue**, since that order is more chronological.

There are a bunch more stories after **Axel**… And illustrations, summaries, and character bios… Please see the homepage link on my author's profile.

-oOo-

Please review.


	7. Epilogue

Kyou kara Maou : Epilogue

Summary: So, do Yuuri and Wolfram _ever_ get married?

This idea started as an epilogue to The Bedding of Wolfram, though I kinda wish I'd left it standalone now. The two stories aren't closely related.

Disclaimer: standard – Kyou kara Maou is not mine.

Written after seeing episode 65 or so. Now I've seen all of them, but… didn't bother to change the slight effects of later episodes. There are no spoilers. Most events referred to here never happen in the series.

Kyou kara Maou : Epilogue

As the years had passed, the difference in appearance between Shibuya Yuuri Harajuku Fuuri, and Yuuri as Maou, had all but evaporated, save for the good-natured joyfulness forming the expression on his face. The glowing warmth and equanimity of his personality shone from his eyes and smile, even at times like this, with Wolfram verbally abusing him across the supper table.

"I demand my _wedding_," Wolfram hissed. The golden blond Mazoku looked the same as the day they'd met. Indeed, it was becoming increasingly apparent that Wolfram wasn't so much youthful, as rather short. Though slight himself, Yuuri was half a head taller than him these days.

"Good God, not a Wedding again!" Yuuri made a hex sign in Wolfram's general direction across their dinner table in Blood Pledge Castle. Greta giggled, Gwendal coughed discreetly, and Conrad looked suffused.

_"Yuuurrriii!"_ Wolfram half-rose from his chair and pounded the edge of the table. "You. Agreed. To marry. Me. _I demand a wedding,_" he hissed.

"Wolfram, be reasonable…."

"Will you wear the dress from the Second Wedding this time, dear?" Lady Cheri broke in dreamily. "I love a beautiful wedding dress."

Wolfram subsided to his seat in disgust. "It fits on Greta now. I refuse to wear a dress that looks better on my daughter."

"Can I get married in it, then, Chichiue Wolfram?"

Wolfram smiled fondly at their daughter, growing into a beautiful woman. "Anything for you, sweet. But not marriage, so soon…" He turned on Yuuri. "At this rate, our daughter _will_ get married before we do."

"Not if she has our luck with weddings. _Just kidding!_"

Cheri mused, "We should fetch Yuuri's mother Miko to help plan the event."

"Good idea, Hahaue," encouraged Gwendal. "She was quite effective against the pirates during _that_ wedding. Though she will want Wolfram in a dress," he observed in distaste.

"I'll wear formal uniform, same as Yuuri. We settled that in the third wedding."

"Mm, before the fire broke out…" Yuuri reminisced. "But maybe…if we didn't invite anyone, the kingdom would be safe from our matrimony…?" He ducked the spork Wolfram hurled at him.

"Ah! Are we planning another Wedding?" breathed Günter, drifting in late to the table. He sat down dreamily, "I do so love planning your weddings, Heika! Perhaps this time I'll wait to order the food in the final week, though. Would a light meal be alright, do you think?"

"Prudent plan," agreed Anissina. "The rat infestation from the spoiled food left during the Dai Cimaron fiasco wedding, was a great trial to the women and children of the kingdom for months, though the _men_ –"

This train of thought was cut off by baby Grendel, the heir von Walde, starting to fuss. Gwendal's furrowed brow twitched as Anissina whipped out an entire ample breast to feed the baby at the dinner table. He'd married her in haste aboard Cheri's yacht, returning from Yuuri and Wolfram's pirate-interrupted wedding, terrified that she'd take Wolfram's unmarried father instead of himself. He'd since had more than ample occasion to wish he'd left her to the elder von Bielenfeld. Though he did have fun knitting mountains of stuffed animals for Grendel, who _was_ exceptionally cute. Godfather Yuuri had supplied the name, but only confided its background to Wolfram and Conrad.

Wolfram leaned face on fist, muttering, "_Fiasco_ wedding. Everything about our marriage is a joke to all Shin Makoku – no, the _world..._"

"Aw, come on, Wolfram – not our marriage, or our relationship," soothed Yuuri. "Just – the wedding thing…" He held up his hands to ward off Wolfram's wrath. "What does it matter? We're as together as we'll ever be. We won't live any differently after the wedding than before. You share my bed. We're raising children together. What's mine is yours, what's yours is mine. I couldn't be any more married to you in truth." He thus gradually worked Wolfram around to returning his loving smile. And shattered that by adding, "It's just the actual _wedding_ that's a public menace."

"_Yuuurrriii!"_

"Actually," interjected Murata Ken helpfully, "I had Shibuya Shou run a correlation analysis for me last wedding – once the dragon insurrection settled down. The highest correlation coefficients to Maou wedding crisis severity, were proximity to April 1st, total leagues travelled by all guests, and Wolfram's wedding outfit distance from his normal clothing." He added, frowning, "Though, the y-intercept of the regression line –"

"Shut up and eat, darling," said his luxuriantly green-haired wife Giesela, by way of clarifying the math. They'd married on the same return cruise as Gwendal and Annissina. As Giesela explained it at the time, she'd spent the past week defending Ken by sword in the first and _last_ dress she would _ever_ wear, donned as a bridesmaid as a special favor to Wolfram. Therefore, Murata had to marry her _that day_, before the slashed and bloodcaked dress was cut off and tossed into the deep. Murata grinned proudly at his beautiful healer-cum-valkyrie wife and applied himself to his stew, proving yet again his intellectual superiority to Gwendal as an advisor to the Maou.

Unfortunately Yuuri was too busy chuckling at his old school pal Murata and his wife Giesela, and took his eye off his main opponent of the evening.

Wolfram rose slowly, brow twitching, and stood, arms crossed, to say, "_That's it._ I've had it with being the laughingstock of this court. Yuuri…marry me or our engagement is _over._"

A palpable silence descended on the room, even baby Grendel pausing in his pigletlike slurping. In all the weddings, over all the years, through thick and thin, despite generous abuse and disparagement flowing both ways, _never _had Wolfram admitted, public or private, the possibility of letting fiancé Yuuri off the hook.

No one else really feeling free to breathe until he did so, Yuuri broke the silence fairly quickly. "You know, Wolfram…" he said, rising from the table in characteristic decisiveness, "_You are right._ Tonight, let's get married."

"What?" Wolfram breathed, stunned.

Yuuri crossed and put an arm around Wolfram's shoulders and kissed his forehead – a habit he'd found both soothed his lover and interfered with his throwing punches. "I said, tonight, let's get married. Günter, please send a Kohi to tell Ulrike we're coming. Greta, please collect the girls from the kitchen – hell, and anybody else you happen across in the halls, but we wait for no one. Conrad, please collect Yozak and Dorcas and get our mounts to the courtyard. We leave in 15 minutes."

"What?" repeated Wolfram in shock. "But…we need to change, and…"

"Nonsense, didn't you hear Murata? For the good of the realm you have to wear this blue uniform – _Oof._"

Wolfram's arms weren't pinned enough to prevent a light hook to Yuuri's solar plexus. But it was a playful one – in truth, Wolfram hardly dared believe it. In all the weddings over the years, he'd never yet gotten this close, within a single hour of the altar. His eyes shone up at Yuuri, who grinned back looking equally starstruck.

"Say, Shibuya," said Murata, eyes on the great hall's windows, where earlier a three-quarter moon and crystalline stars had graced the winter night. Now a few snowflakes danced there. "Perhaps…morning would be better."

From long experience, Yuuri mentally upgraded this mild warning by five orders of magnitude, then smiled anyway. "Tonight's the night we wed," he reiterated, and enjoyed a hero's smile from Wolfram in reward.

It took more like a half hour, but quite soon the wedding party was assembled in the courtyard. Though not at dinner, Geigen Huber Bruscella's family was visiting and joined them, their daughter Elle happily selecting the intrepid ram T-zou for her mount. Annissina had traded baby Grendel for a large unexplained package, which Gwendal gave a wide berth. His man Yozak was the only one still wearing a dress, the women having quickly changed to riding pants. Yozak held a lantern and Wolfram's favorite horse for the groom and groom to mount together. He bowed, drawling, "Congratulations, Heika, Kyo. Better you than me."

Yuuri and Wolfram both grinned at him – nothing could have dismayed the couple's stunned rapture at that point - and Yuuri motioned the party to hit the road, up to Shinou's temple to be wed by Ulrike at the Great One's altar. "I can't believe this is finally happening," breathed Wolfram over his shoulder. Yuuri, mounted behind, hugged him tighter. "Believe it," he whispered. "Tonight we wed."

The snow was light at first. Quite pretty, really.

By a third of the way up the mountain, the snow was already three inches deep and the wind was rising, blowing directly into their faces.

Conrad pulled his horse abreast of Yuuri and Wolfram, and said, "Heika, perhaps we should turn back. The snow isn't so deep yet, but at the rate it's falling…" And indeed, six inches an hour was a heavy blizzard by any standard.

Before Yuuri could respond, the sheep T-zou took wing. _"Wheee!"_ cried Elle from T-zou's back.

Now as Yuuri well knew, T-zou's aeronautics were admirable, and he sympathized with Elle's choice – it did look like fun. Unfortunately, though the sheep was winter-warm and smooth gliding, it could make no headway at all against oncoming gale-force winds. T-zou was flying not-quite-backward the way they came. In fact, T-zou was being blown toward the cliffs to the left of the mountain pass.

Leaving the appeal to the pilot to Nicola and Huber - screaming at their daughter to land the sheep – Yuuri wove his hands in front of Wolfram to work water majutsu. Even averaging only half an hour a week in study, six years was a long time – Yuuri could weave fairly good spells without _'turning Maou'_ these days.

An arm of snow rose and rose, and disappeared into the swirling blizzard toward the cliffs. Gradually a large shape snaked back – a giant catcher's mitt of snow with a sheep and whooping 6-year old safely in the palm. Yuuri dumped child and T-zou and a fair bit of snow onto Huber, and released the snow-catcher into the wind.

"Beautiful, Yuuri," Wolfram yelled in admiration. Though they were inches apart, the wind was making it hard to hear as well as see.

Yuuri squeezed him back, grinning. "I think our last wedding is shaping up to be our most fun," he yelled in reply.

Wolfram nodded emphatically, and gestured with their lantern for everyone to move on again.

And the snow was four inches deep.

By two thirds of the way up the mountain, the snow was eight inches deep, probably, but the wind drifts, with artfully corniced shifting tops, were often two feet deep. More problematic, the pass opened out of the trees and onto a broad meadow. Rolling and gentle as this meadow appeared from the safety of the path in spring, it was in reality quite broken land. And under the snow, under near-whiteout conditions, where that path might be was a mystery. In the lead with Yozak, Dorcas' horse was the first to fall.

While the other men hauled poor Dorcas and his horse out of a snowdrifted gully, Annissina approached the bridal couple. "Heika, in this situation, the only solution is my latest invention, Homing-Inu-Bobsled-kun!" To Yuuri's lovestruck delight and Wolfram's more pragmatic trepidation, Anissina pulled a cord on her strange package, which autoinflated to a fifteen foot long canoe-like toboggan. "Bobsled-kun glides almost effortlessly uphill on snow, homing in on a programmed destination," she twiddled a dial. "Using Bobsled-kun in the lead, with the animals tethered behind, it no longer matters that we can't see the trail. Bobsled-kun is of course majutsu-powered – a single majutsu user of Wolfram's power could get us all safely to Shinou's tomb."

"Unh-uh," opined Wolfram. "It's my wedding. Make Gwendal do it."

In the end, both Gwendal and Günter sat at the front to power Bobsled-kun. Most of the wedding party sat inside the sled, but Yuuri and Wolfram chose to stay mounted together behind, heading the train of mounts and sheep, with Conrad and Yozak bringing up the rear of the train.

By the time all this reorganizing was done, the snow was 10 inches deep. But things seemed to be going smoothly. The bobsled ride up the mountain was fun for all the guests, and they were making as good headway as the horses could manage. Everyone assumed that Bobsled-kun was successfully tracking the path. Through the thinner strands of snowsquall, they could occassionally glimpse Shinou's tomb looming closer.

"You're right, Yuuri, this is our most fun wedding yet!" cried Wolfram over the howl of the wind.

Just then, a particularly strong wayward windsquall snuck up behind T-zou and sent him aloft, screeching in indignation. T-zou wasn't accustomed to being tethered, and the backing wind lassoed one front to the opposite rear leg, effectively robbing him of all steering control. Wolfram and Yuuri, the closest to the beleaguered sheep, didn't have time to see all this before an extremely heavy squirming woolly snowball slammed into them from behind. The force of the snowball made their horse stumble, sending Wolfram somersaulting into the sled. To evade the flying groom, half of the sled passengers bailed out the sides into snowdrifts. Meanwhile Yuuri, trying to quickly disengage T-zou before the horses foundered, cut the animal train rope. Suddenly lightened, completely unbalanced, and loosed from its rear drag, Bobsled-kun flipped up on its Mazoku-heavy nose and catapulted the remaining passengers into the snow.

And from the direction of the cliffs to the left, Cheri and Giesela started to scream.

While Conrad and Yozak leapt to disentangle the horses, while Wolfram gasped to get his wind back, while Gwendal clawed his way out of a snowbank, Yuuri started to glow. From all the snowsqualls backing and filling, a snow funnel grew lifting up the wedding party, horses, sheep, bobsled, Cheri, Giesela and all, lifting them high into the air, then depositing them all safe in the courtyard of Shinou's tomb. Artfully carved snowdrifts still lay all about, but the sky was clear, and the beautiful crisp winter stars and moon shone down, sprinkling the the snow with glinting diamonds.

"Wolfram," the Maou called sternly. Wolfram paused brushing snow from his clothes and gazed at the Maou morosely. "Your selfishness this night risked the lives of all the people you hold most dear." Wolfram's eyes narrowed. "Yet these friends and family, and above all, he who loves you most, were willing to go through all of this to show their love for you. You have much to be worthy of."

"Yeah, right," said Wolfram. "Now give me back my husband." With which, Yuuri stopped glowing, and his hair and he sunk slowly to the snow.

Günter helped Wolfram drag the unconscious Yuuri into the Great Hall. The others followed as soon as animal chores and snow-sloughing permitted. Ulrike waited at the altar, smiling. As usual with a Mazoku wedding ceremony, men drifted to one side and women to the other. Though Yozak, as the only one present besides Ulrike wearing a dress, opted to side with the women. As was only natural for the longest standing relationship present, Yozak and Conrad were thus on opposite sides of the room. Cheri, dressed for the elements in her red leather catsuit, teased Yozak with the tip of her whip, whispering she had just one son left to marry off. Conrad, with an easy trust grown of 75 years of love and war, was confident Yozak could laugh that off.

With all eyes trained on groom and groom, Murata wandered almost unnoticed to the fountain wall behind the altar, which was burbling and chortling gleefully. "Enough, you incorrigible brat!" he hissed quietly. "I've told you, this Maou doesn't take orders, and he's decided. It's not von Bielenfeld's fault he looks just like you. You've teased him enough already!"

Wolfram von Bielenfeld, unaware of this byplay, stood alone in the center, staring down at Yuuri, both gently steaming from wet clothes, mortified.

And they waited.

Eventually Yozak drawled, "von Bielenfeld-kyo, if you want I could poke him with a stick for you."

"No. Thank you. Yozak." He paused another long moment, then cried out in anguish, "_Six years_, from the day I met you, from the day you proposed to me, our engagement has been a _COMPLETE FARCE!"_ And he hauled off and kicked Yuuri in the side.

Conrad and Günter jerked forward to their lord's defense, but were restrained by Gwendal. The gentler sex of the court there assembled, plus Yozak, unanimously nodded their heads. _A perfectly justified kick._

As Yuuri groaned and started coming to, Wolfram immediately knelt to hold and gently bring him around. "Are you all right, Yuuri?" he whispered. "Are you…still willing to go through with this?"

Yuuri, rubbing his bruised side, whispered back, "Definitely. Tonight's the night."

Wolfram closed his eyes, and an errant tear squeezed out. "It would be safer for Shin Makoku to get this over with, after all," he whispered bitterly.

"No. Because I really do love you." Wolfram glared at him sideways, wanting to be convinced. Yuuri continued, in a whisper only Wolfram could hear, "When I met you, I was just a kid. I've grown up since then. I'm ready now. Let's get married."

And they did wed. And after their vows, Yuuri did kiss Wolfram in front of everyone, a long and deep and well-practiced kiss at that, after all those years. Once Yuuri decided something, he decided with his whole heart and will. And for Wolfram…his heart was decided six years before and never once wavered.

The party afterwards was a swirling rosy haze to Wolfram, floating in a sea of hot mulled wine brought in by the shrine maidens. He kissed and hugged all the wedding guests, and danced with Yuuri and Cheri and Conrad and Yuuri and Anissina and Yuuri and Greta and Yuuri, and smiled until his cheeks ached and kept on smiling.

As the guests began to drift off to the dormitory the shrine maidens had doubled up to free for them, Yuuri pulled Wolfram to the Maou's room, always reserved for him at the Tomb. He shut the door on everyone and drew Wolfram into a full-body hug, and whispered in his ear. "Are you satisfied now, Wolfram? Being husbands? I love you. I really want you to be happy."

"Yes, I'm deliriously happy. I love you, wimp. And I'll never ask you for anything again."

"Unh-uh," Yuuri contradicted, holding Wolfram at arm's length a moment to look him in the eye. "Keep asking. If you stop asking me for things, I'll think you don't need me anymore."

Wolfram flashed a bishounen smile that took Yuuri's breath away. "Deal!"

And they bickered and laughed and loved each other happily ever after.

-oOo-

Author's note:

There are further stories in this story arc. Please click on author's profile, homepage link, to reach the illustrations & summaries website. (Those summaries contain spoilers.)

The illustration for _Epilogue_ is called _A Fully Justified Kick_. Heheh.

-oOo-

Please review.


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